Taoiseach Simon Harris has said that he is “open” to the idea of offshore processing of migrants under the auspices of the EU migration pact. He was speaking in response to a question from this reporter at the launch of the Fine Gael election manifesto in County Tipperary this morning.
His comments come amid media reports in the UK that the British Government is to seek “offshore” arrangements for the processing of asylum applicants which would involve removing people to Kurdistan and Vietnam, amongst other countries, while their application was examined. The Italian Government has recently enacted a similar scheme with Albania, while the Danish Government is seeking a partnership with Rwanda for the same purpose.
The Taoiseach was asked whether Ireland would not, inevitably, end up doing the same thing. In response he said that he was open to the idea of processing migrants offshore, but that Ireland would only do so as part of a wider European approach under the migration pact.
The Taoiseach also rejected the idea that Fine Gael’s approach to migration in its manifesto simply amounted to “adding more bureaucracy”, saying that faster processing of asylum applications – and speedier deportation of those whose applications are denied – is the ultimate aim.
The manifesto commits Fine Gael to “hiring more staff” to expand the international protection office – though no firm number is given. It also commits the party to expanding accelerated processing of migrant applications and expanding the number of “safe” countries of origin, though no firm figures are given there either. The party also says it will establish a dedicated division of the High Court to “handle all immigration cases, ensuring timely legal proceedings”.
Significantly, the party also commits to ending the emergency use of hotels as a source of accommodation for migrants over the lifetime of the next Government. In the interim, it promises “greater lead in times” for communities in order to “allow for enhanced and effective local communication”. The party will also “expand the community engagement team”. At a macro level, responsibility for refugee accommodation will be brought back under the auspices of the Department of Justice.
Hate Speech Bill dropped
Fine Gael has dropped the controversial hate speech bill entirely from its election manifesto, with Justice Minister Helen McEntee telling journalist Louise Burne that her approach would be to “work with other parties to build a consensus” around how to improve the existing incitement to hatred legislation, which has been on the statute book for nearly 40 years.
Major spending increases
Fine Gael has also proposed a tax and spending package over the next five years worth an estimated €52.4billion – a figure which includes the just over €14billion that the state intends to collect from Apple.
On tax, the party plans to increase the standard-rate cut-off (the income level at which a taxpayer starts paying tax at the higher rate) by €2,000 a year, as well as increasing all tax credits by €75 per year. It will also lift the entry points for the main USC bands, though the party’s long-standing aim of abolishing the USC appears to have finally been dropped for good.
On spending, Fine Gael proposes an “acorn” scheme which would see the state set up a savings account for each newborn, and lodge €1,000 to it. This would rise to €1,500 for “disadvantaged” children.
The party would also functionally abolish the student registration charge, it says, for university students. It claims that it will recruit 6,000 new gardai, increase the state pension by €60 per week by the end of the next Government, and extend free GP care to all children under the age of 18. The party would also further extend the free contraception scheme.
Criticism of reliance on windfall taxes
Challenged at the manifesto launch about spending, Minister Paschal Donohoe was resistant to the idea that Fine Gael’s spending plans were overly reliant on windfall corporation taxes, asserting that the party had managed the public finances well and put significant funding aside for a rainy day fund. He also said that it was unlikely that bumper corporate tax revenues would evaporate all in one go as Department of Finance forecasts tend to assume, and that the Government had some landing room in which to deliver Fine Gael’s promises.
Criticism of Sinn Fein
Simon Harris launched an attack on Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald as the event concluded, noting that Sinn Fein has yet to launch a manifesto and does not intend to do so before the first leader’s debate, which takes place on RTE tomorrow night. He called on her to publish her party’s plans ahead of that debate, so that they might be scrutinised – and rejected claims that he was “afraid” to debate her, saying “I debate her every week”.
The manifesto launch was attended by a large number of Fine Gael’s candidates, including Cllrs Phil Bugler and Michael Murphy, who are hoping to re-capture seats for the party in Tipperary North and Tipperary South respectively.